I am really worried about the NBA All-Star break. My team, the Sacramento Kings, doesn’t play for 5 straight nights. I am definitely going to go into withdrawals. To help occupy my time, I have come up with a to do list. Feel free to add your suggestions.

Write a novel.

Finish my “honey do” list.

Solve the Middle East crisis.

Lose 50 pounds.

Fix Charlie Sheen’s personal problems.

Start up a Fortune 500 company.

Win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Brainwash Stephen A. Smith to agree with Skip Bayless on ESPN’s First Take.

At the height of the “Tebow Time” phenomenon, the world could not get enough of the faith-filled football player Tim Tebow. Tebow became the most well-known Christian in America. I once described him in a tweet as the next generation’s Billy Graham. He is not afraid to share his faith one-on-one or in front of large audiences. Even TV audiences. He is not ashamed of the gospel and all that it entails: his pro-life stance, his virginity, his multiple charitable endeavors.

After a successful season in Denver where the Broncos organization mistreated him, Tebow got traded to the New York Jets. He is welcomed into the biggest media market in the entire world. For many of us Christians, we applauded this trade. He didn’t get much respect from his coaches in the Bronco organization. He was apparently going to a team that wanted him and would provide him an opportunity to share his faith on a much grander scale. It seemed a trade ordained by heaven.

But instead it has seemed, to his fans at least, like more of a hellish experience. Why? Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano has not designed much for him to do for the Jets. Head coach Rex Ryan is stubborn and continues to go with the subpar quarterback Mark Sanchez over Tebow. Those are the obvious reasons. I suggest there is more to it beneath the surface.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

Satan does not want Tim Tebow to succeed in New York City. He does not want the world’s largest media and entertainment center to celebrate Tim. If you celebrate Tebow, you celebrate his faith. It is that essential to his personality, his story, his being.

Suppose for a minute that it is the devil who is making Coach Ryan more stubborn than a mule. Imagine that the evil one is thwarting Tony Sparano’s offensive attack. For if Tebow were to play in New York City, and play well, there would be more TV interviews, more magazine articles, more Tebow. And more Tebow means more discussions of his Christian faith.

Certainly I understand that God is in control. Nothing happens without His knowledge, His approval. At any point and time He can change Tebow’s circumstances. I am hopeful that time will come soon. In the meantime, I am actively praying against the “spiritual forces of evil” that may be standing in the way.

We need the world to once again celebrate “Tebow Time.” Because when it does the world is confronted with more of Christ.

I tweeted this last night after the Jets embarrassing 34-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. A game in which quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for only 103 yards on 13 of 29 passing. He completed just 44% of his passes and threw one interception.

By all accounts, that is a horrendous performance by your starting play caller. And yet, Head Coach Rex Ryan refuses to entertain thoughts of replacing Sanchez with back up Tim Tebow.

"I'm not ready to make a quarterback change," Ryan said after the loss. "Obviously we've got to get better play at quarterback, and we got to get better play at a lot of things. Mark's the answer at quarterback."

Many media pundits, including this one, disagree. Football Night in America’s Rodney Harrison is among the more prominent ones.

“Last week the Jets’ offense struggled against the Miami Dolphins,” said Harrison on the highest rated TV show in America. “They didn’t score a point today. The morale of the team is low,” he continued. “It’s time. They need a spark. Tim Tebow will give them that spark.”

Yet he can’t provide that spark if he’s not given the opportunity. So why won’t Rex make the move? I have one interesting theory.

You may remember a Monday Night Football game a few Octobers ago on ESPN. The NFL was just starting its push to gain more Hispanic viewers and fans. The league was celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. During that MNF broadcast, Sanchez was touted as one of the leading Hispanic players who could help the league reach out and woo this growing constituency.

That celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month continues in 2012. You may have noticed that every stadium has the “Football Americano” slogan painted on the grass. The NFL is involved in a full-fledged effort to broaden the appeal of professional football to the Latino community and other cultures.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Unless it means the league is putting pressure on coaches and teams to promote certain players by granting them unearned exposure and playing time.

I have no proof that this is indeed what is happening. It is just a theory. But the NFL seems invested in seeing Sanchez succeed. How far might that investment take them?